Obama Will Be Watching ...
by No Author Listed (Profile/Interview | Soccer America - May 27)
A day after the selection of the 23 players who will represent the USA at the World Cup, they headed to the White House for an official sendoff from President Barack Obama. more details | go to article

Landon Donovan Has Mind, Game In Sync For World Cup
by Kelly Whiteside (Profile/Interview | USA Today - May 25)
Four years ago, Landon Donovan was in a very different place. Amid high expectations, Donovan wilted, as did his U.S. men's soccer team, which exited the 2006 World Cup without a victory in the first round. more details | go to article

U.S. Hears Howard Loud And Clear
by Martin Rogers (Profile/Interview | Yahoo - May 25)
Get him away from a soccer field and Tim Howard is about as mild-mannered an athlete as you’re likely to find. Plus 3:00 video analysis of the Roster bubble. more details | go to article

Reading U.S. Coach Bob Bradley's Senior Thesis
by Grant Wahl (Profile/Interview | Sports Illustrated - May 25)
U.S. coach Bob Bradley took the unusual step of requesting an unscheduled chat with four media members on Sunday, the last day of the U.S. team’s week-long stay at Princeton University. Bradley is not the emotive type, but you could tell that spending a week before the World Cup at his alma mater was a special moment for him in his career. more details | go to article

Depending On Donovan Is Dangerous
by Andrea Canales (Commentary | Goal.com - May 25)
USA star needs others to shine. more details | go to article

U.S. Goalies' Reach Extends Across Atlantic
by Jack Bell (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 24)
When Tim Howard was 6 or 8, his career path was already being MapQuested by a coach who perhaps did not know about tactics but did understand proportion. more details | go to article

U.S. Soccer Team's Carlos Bocanegra Recovering Well From Hernia Surgery
by Colin Stephenson (Profile/Interview | Star Ledger - May 24)
It was no big deal, Carlos Bocanegra insisted. Just a minor sports hernia surgery. That’s all. Fifteen, 20 minutes tops is all the procedure took. He walked out of the specialist’s office in Munich under his own power, was running three or four days later, and two weeks after he went under the knife he was practicing fully with the U.S. national team in Princeton. more details | go to article

White House Visit Highlights U.S. World Cup Team's Send-Off Tour
by George O'Gorman (Profile/Interview | The Trentonian (Trenton, NJ) - May 24)
A week that put Mercer County on the international sports scene wrapped up yesterday when coach Bob Bradley sent his U.S. Men’s World Cup team through its final workout before heading off for a two-game Send-Off Tour to generate support for next week’s departure for South Africa. more details | go to article

Alejandro Bedoya: "It's Been A Good Grind"
by Noah Davis (Profile/Interview | Goal.com - May 24)
Alejandro Bedoya, virtually unknown before the United States Men's National Team's January camp, continues to push for an unlikely World Cup roster spot. Although his chances of making the 23-man group have slipped in recent days -- partially due to the excellent play of primary competition DaMarcus Beasley -- the Orebro midfielder isn't giving up yet. more details | go to article

USA Winger Alejandro Bedoya Cites Personal Trainer For Meteoric Rise
by Zac Lee Rigg and Terence Steed (Profile/Interview | Goal.com - May 24)
The winger explains his rise to the cusp of the World Cup. more details | go to article

Clint Dempsey Warms To Leadership Role With USA
by Zac Lee Rigg and Terence Steed (Profile/Interview | Goal.com - May 24)
Dempsey knows he's crucial to the American cause at the World Cup. more details | go to article

Clint Dempsey's World Cup Album
by Allen Ramsey (Profile/Interview | Goal.com - May 24)
Listen in as Dempsey recounts the 2006 World Cup. (narrative plus 4:03 audio interview) more details | go to article

Bocanegra Says He Is Ready To Play
by Jeré Longman (Blog Entry | New York Times - May 23)
Defender Carlos Bocanegra, the captain of the United States soccer team, said Sunday that he felt healthy enough to play in exhibition matches Tuesday and Saturday after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia earlier this month. more details | go to article

U.S. World Cup Team Features True Father-And-Son Game
by Michelle Kaufman (Profile/Interview | Miami Herald - May 23)
Scott Bradley, the Princeton baseball coach and former major-league catcher, is standing on the sideline of the university's soccer stadium beaming with pride. He has ventured away from his corner of the campus on this gloriously sunny Thursday morning to watch the U.S. World Cup team as it trains for its trip to South Africa. more details | go to article

Jersey Kid Has Shot To Be The Man For U.S. In World Cup
by Brian Lewis (Profile/Interview | New York Post - May 23)
It says much about the United States’ unimposing strike force that the only forward who seems assured of a spot on the World Cup team — and likely a starting role as well — is a 20-year-old who has faced questions about his practice habits and even where he will be playing next season. more details | go to article